Chile Forum

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I just went for a walk through one of those new neighborhoods with a bunch of white houses that all look the same. With roofs made out of those half-round clay-colored things. And apparently there's not much underneath those clay-colored things, except just enough narrow slats of wood to nail them to. And unfortunately the nails didn't hold very well last night. It's a good thing this is summer, and it doesn't rain very much here. I'm supposed to look at one of them tomorrow, so I'll be able to see how well the insides held up.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin

Those are Tejas.
The traditional ones can be lethal weapons when a quake shakes them off a roof. They are also quite heavy, each one weighs over 2 kg, so a building's load-bearing qualities and its roof structure need to allow for that, which ups the cost. And all that weight up on top isn't a good idea in a seismic area. They also require periodic rehanging as Termites eat the wooden battens and salt air corrodes the fixings. In the days before wood sheeting and roofing felt, the battens were nailed directly to the rafters, so if the tile broke the rain came in. They may still build this way for (false) economy.

And tejas need to be "cured" before hanging, otherwise they eventually split. Found that out the hard way.

yea those make no sense when there are bunch of lighter, safer, and more durrable options that still have the look.

you drive around anywhere where that was a common building material, and after a few years all the roof structure is sagging. that is, if a quake has not already taken out the structure. unfotunatly in chile, they often got replaced by crappy looking zink metal roofs, rather than something that preserved the look.

Those are Tejas.
The traditional ones can be lethal weapons when a quake shakes them off a roof. They are also quite heavy, each one weighs over 2 kg, so a building's load-bearing qualities and its roof structure need to allow for that, which ups the cost. And all that weight up on top isn't a good idea in a seismic area. They also require periodic rehanging as Termites eat the wooden battens and salt air corrodes the fixings. In the days before wood sheeting and roofing felt, the battens were nailed directly to the rafters, so if the tile broke the rain came in. They may still build this way for (false) economy.

And tejas need to be "cured" before hanging, otherwise they eventually split. Found that out the hard way.

In short, a nice-looking PITA. Modern substitutes are better, though

These houses are only a couple years old. So I think they already have the modern substitutes, if you mean those things that only look like the heavy clay tejas. I'll probably walk by again tonight, to get a closer look. My appointment today got postponed until tomorrow, so I won't see the inside until then. The house I'm in now only lost a few tejas, but there's something underneath them. I think it was build around 2006.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin

you drive around anywhere where that was a common building material, and after a few years all the roof structure is sagging. that is, if a quake has not already taken out the structure. unfotunatly in chile, they often got replaced by crappy looking zink metal roofs, rather than something that preserved the look.

I haven't seen the sagging problem here. The buildings with the solid construction seem to hold up well to earthquakes. Those roofs in that new neighborhood are the first real problem I've seen here, except for the beach where the tsunami hit in 2015.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin

i have seen some of the older houses with a little tiny trusses, with a 20+ span, spaced 3 meters apart, holding up thousands of pounds of shingles. over say 30+ years, gravity tends to win that battle.

I'm guessing the bottoms weren't nailed down, so every time the houses bounced, the tejas sorta flopped and got pried off a little more. And they eventually just fell off. And the ones that didn't fall off are probably not too secure anymore.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin

Yesterday, just in time as it turns out, we pulled down the wooden cornice above an old doorway which was barely hanging on. It must weigh 30 kg and it had been fastened using eight inch wooden stakes that had mostly pulled out of the adobe wall.

Here's a pic showing the problem with loose Tejas, an accident waiting to happen.
Never a dull moment in Chilito....

I remember seeing a line of cars moving out of the neighborhood after the 8.3 in 2015. And again after this one. It's probably a good idea, if you have some other place to go. I read the other day that the probability of any earthquake being a foreshock is about 6%. That's the worldwide probability. It didn't mention Chile specifically.

Yesterday, just in time as it turns out, we pulled down the wooden cornice above an old doorway which was barely hanging on. It must weigh 30 kg and it had been fastened using eight inch wooden stakes that had mostly pulled out of the adobe wall.

Here's a pic showing the problem with loose Tejas, an accident waiting to happen.
Never a dull moment in Chilito....

010a.jpg

I'm seeing lots of those around here too. My roof held up pretty well, but I still have to be careful of where I'm standing. I've been walking around checking out all the different types of roofs, so I know which ones to avoid when I rent or buy my next house.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin

It was the 80th anniversary the other day of Chiles most deadly earthquake, 1939 in Chillan, 30000 killed, it marked a turning point in construction standards and materials used in new builds in Chile. Some fascinating photos here https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/ ... Chile.html

In the Lakes Region Chile for 6 years. It looks like New Zealand in some ways, and is nearly at the bottom of the world too, but there the similarities end.

It was the 80th anniversary the other day of Chiles most deadly earthquake, 1939 in Chillan, 30000 killed, it marked a turning point in construction standards and materials used in new builds in Chile. Some fascinating photos here https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/ ... Chile.html

Yikes, I think I'll live in a yurt. I just walked by those new houses, and looked at a pile of concrete tejas that fell off. Those things look dangerous.

And while we're waiting for the Valpo megaquake, people in Japan are getting nervous because they're starting to see oarfish washing up on shore.

“Now it’s conspiracy – they’ve made that something that should not even be entertained for a minute, that powerful people might get together and have a plan. Doesn’t happen, you’re a kook, you’re a conspiracy buff!” – George Carlin